Hamilton Seaside Energy Elite Blender for Shakes and Smoothies with 3-Cup Vegetable Chopper Mini Meals Processor, 40oz Glass Jar, 12 Features for Puree, Ice Crush, Black and Stainless Metal (58149)

Nice Design, Works Well
This new blender is relatively lightweight compared to my old blender, and that is a nice feature. I just got it and made the first milkshake. The blender chopped up cookies and chocolate chips that were added to the ice cream and milk. The end result was a very smooth milkshake with no chunks of any kind, not even small crumbs of cookie or chocolate. My family couldn’t even tell that items were added to the ice cream.Another nice feature is that the buttons are labeled for what you want to make. For me, I hit the first button labeled ‘Milkshake’ and let it blend for maybe 30 or 40 seconds. The result was 3x6oz glasses of creamy milkshake.This is a very nice blender. Simple to use. Lightweight. Efficient. And it has an electric cord that can manually retract out of or in to the base for when it’s time to put it away.

Great blender, so far – and a recipe for a delicious smoothie!
I picked this up after being unable to find a blender under $30 in any local stores that had decent reviews (I always check Amazon.com for pricing and reviews before purchasing anything). I had purchased a VERY similar model (same brand, and similar features) on impulse at a local store for right at $30, but decided not to even take it out of the box after reading the reviews on Amazon (my phone was dead when I purchased it, or I would have checked the reviews before pulling the trigger). After a bit of research I came across this unit which was a few dollars less, and is the same brand with almost identical features – so I was surprised that it had so much better reviews, but I figured it was worth the gamble and I needed a new blender for my morning smoothies ASAP (my old one was not working at-all). I never took the other one out of the box, so I can’t compare this one to that one – but I can say that I’m very happy with this blender – it works perfectly for what I need it for, and although I have only had it for a few weeks, I haven’t had any problems yet and it seems sturdy enough to last for a while. The problem with my last blender was that the gears the connected the motor in the base to the blades in the pitcher were made of rubber or soft plastic, so over the years they eventually got stripped until they were unable to catch each other enough to make the blades spin. During my search, I came across several models that had metal pieces connecting the blades to the motor which seems like it would be ideal. This model uses plastic, however it seems thick and sturdy enough to last a while. The pitcher is also very wide all the way to the bottom. Many blenders have a ‘funnel’ shaped pitcher that is smaller at the bottom (by the blades), sometimes causing ice or frozen chunks to get caught in the blades which can cause problems with the motor and/or the gears that connect the blades to the motor. Because the bottom of this is so wide, it seems like this happens less frequently because the blades will simply push the frozen chunks aside rather than getting them stuck between the blades and the glass. I rarely used the lid on my old blender, as I don’t usually have issues with the ingredients splashing out – however, the lid of this blender has a couple of features that I really like. One is the spout that allows you to more easily pour your smoothies into your cups with less mess/dripping, and the other is a little ‘flap’ that allows you to easily pour in ingredients while blending without worrying about splashing.I’ve only had this for a few weeks, but so-far it is working very well and I feel confident that it will hold up for a good while. I definitely recommended this for anyone looking for a sturdy, powerful blender in this price range. I’m only withholding the 5th star because I would really like to see metal pieces connecting the blades to the motor instead of plastic – but hopefully this won’t be an issue.BONUS: DELICIOUS SMOOTHIE RECIPE!1. Optionally put 1/2 or 1 full avocado (removed from the skin and separated from the seed/pit) in the blender (depending on how much you are making and/or how creamy and how much avocado flavor you want.2. Optionally add a banana to help thicken it up a bit and add some more nutrients3. Add 2-3 cups (or your desired amount) of any type of fresh or frozen fruit you like. I especially like peaches, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, pineapple, mango, and cherries.4. Optionally add a scoop of protein powder to add some more nutrients. I use vanilla flavored powder to add a bit of flavor as well. You can also add powdered vitamins such as Airborne, vitamin C, or fiber.5. Mix in about a cup or so (depending on how thick you want your smoothie) of juice. I personally prefer fresh squeezed orange or apple juice, but use whatever you like or have available.6. Optionally add a half cup or so of GoodBelly, or any other type of probiotic or nutrient rich juice. You can also use wheat grass, or something similar to get some extra nutrients.7. Optionally add a half cup or so of kefir or a few spoonfuls of yogurt. I prefer either vanilla or berry flavored kefir which adds some probiotics to your drink, and a bit of sweetness and flavor. Obviously you can leave this out if you prefer a dairy-free smoothie.8 Start blending the ingredients on low, then turn it up to medium once the big chunks start to break down.9. Optionally add a couple tablespoons of agave nectar, or honey as a natural sweetener. You shouldn’t need much, especially if you used sweet juice or flavored yogurt. I prefer raw light agave nectar, and just a couple of squirts is enough.10. Optionally, add a few drops of grapefruit seed extract, or other natural oil or extract for additional nutrients.11. Blend on medium until it begins to ‘fold’ (you should basically have a smoothie funnel/tornado) – if this doesn’t happen within a minute or so, it may be too thick and you may need to add some more juice (or use a thicker straw). Then you are ready to drink. Taste a bit with a spoon or straw first, and add more ingredients as desired to get the perfect texture and taste before pouring.12. Rinse the pitcher and lid with hot water right away to ensure you have a clean blender to use the next morning.This may seem like a lot of steps, but once you do it a few times it takes less than 5 minutes to have a healthy and delicious breakfast that you can drink on your way to work. I always make enough to share with my kids, so I know everyone gets a nice dose of fruit, protein and vitamins each morning. Give it a try, and you will probably be hooked! Enjoy…

A real smoothie master, I’d say! Regardless of the comments from other reviewers of this item, this works great. I didn’t find it too noisy at all. If you are crushing ice, add a little water to help the ice crush and from time to time use a spatula to help push the ice down and it works well. I just made a Blueberry-Banana Smoothie for myself to try it out and I can honestly say I am happy with it. It turned out pretty well and was very tasty. I have no problems with it whatsoever and I don’t understand what the issue with this is. It works the same as any blender. All you need to do is follow the instruction manual and it does have one.

Doesn’t work for mixing chick peas

cheap and excellent